Exercise
by don't-bite-the-bolt
Summary: On the last day of Cath's first year of college, Levi vows to get her in shape over the summer by doing the last thing that she wants to do: run.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first fanfiction that I'm publishing, so be gentle. It shouldn't be too long, around 7-10 chapters. Happy reading!

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><p>Cath walked out of the Love Library and sat down on the steps, expecting Levi to be waiting for her like he had been many times before. But he wasn't there. Cath wasn't surprised. Levi had said he'd come and get her after his shift at Starbucks, and she may have come out a teensy, weensy– half an hour early.<p>

Deep inside she knew that he would get there when he told her he would get there, but her mind kept coming up with what ifs. What if he was early and got bored waiting for her and walked off? What if he thought that she abandoned him? What if he was waiting and decided that she was no longer worth it?

Of course, once her mind started to wander, she would shake off the thoughts, telling herself: _'Levi wouldn't do that, he loves you, he wouldn't think that.'_ But eventually, the what ifs became too strong, and Cath couldn't concentrate on her writing anyway, so she decided to wait outside.

Exactly thirty minutes later, Cath was daydreaming about Simon and Baz, when she heard the familiar voice that never failed to put a smile on her face.

"Cather!" For some reason, perhaps because she was so happy, Cath decided to run to Levi. He was standing there, grinning, as she stood up and began to run over to him. He looked surprised, but opened his arms wide. Once she reached him though, she couldn't stand for a second longer, and collapsed onto the grass in front of him, sucking in air. The happy smile turned into a concerned look as Levi stood looking down on her.

"Cather?" Levi asked. "Are you alright?" Cath ignored him and continued to gasp like a dying fish. _'No more running. Ever.' _She mentally vowed.

"Cather. It isn't okay that you ran—what? A block or so, and you can't breathe. I personally, think it is _my_ job as your boyfriend to keep you in shape." Cath, who had finally caught her breath, and was sitting up, whispered a horrified "No."

"Yes," Levi answered grimly, sitting down next to her. "You have to, Cath! You have to admit that that isn't healthy."

"Well . . ."

"I'm getting you in shape if it kills me," Levi said, determined. In fact, Cath probably would have commented on how cute he looked if she wasn't so scared of his sincerity.

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about," Cath muttered, looking down at her hands. Levi tilted her face up with one hand, holding her chin. Cath looked up hopefully, thinking that he might have changed his mind.

"I'll come to your house three times a week to go running," he said, dashing her hopes. He let go of her face, grabbing her hand and standing up, pulling her with him.

"I hate you Levi."

"Love you too, Cather."

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><p>Thank you to my beta, GeekGirl2468.<p>

Please review, I'd love to know what you think. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys! Before you say it, I know it took a long time to get this up, but July was kind of my 'everything' summer month. It felt like everything was happening in July, but now my schedule is less packed, so the next chapter should be up sooner. It's still short, but I'm trying to build up, so eventually the chapters are going to be a good length. It hasn't been beta-ed, so if there are any errors, they are mine. Enjoy!

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><p>Ding, dong. Ding, dong. The front door opens and closes.<p>

"Cath! Levi's here!" Wren shouted, leaning towards the stairs.

"Mmgh," Cath groaned quietly, burrowing deeper into her blankets. Levi had texted her the night before, letting her know that he was coming the next day, so she decided that she was never, _ever _getting out of bed.

"Cath!" Wren shouted again, getting impatient.

"I'll go get her," Levi said with a smile flashed in Wren's direction.

"Thanks," Wren answered, obviously relieved. "She's usually up already, but today she refused to get out of bed."

"That may be my fault," Levi admitted, turning around.

"Why?" Wren asked, now curious. "She loves you."

"I'm going to make her go running with me," Levi mentioned, blushing a little.

"Oh, that's good. She's horribly un-athletic."

"Yeah, she was running for about a minute and a half and was huffing and puffing on the ground," Levi told her, smiling at the memory.

Wren grinned. "That sounds like my sister alright. You better get her up. It's gonna take you a while," she said, shooing him mockingly up the stairs. He laughed, walking up.

"Cather?" he asked, knocking lightly on her door.

"Mmgh," she groaned into her pillow. Levi slowly pushed the door open, walking in.

"Oh, Cather," he laughed, seeing her curled up in her blanket like a caterpillar.

"Don't 'oh Cather' me!" Cath exclaimed suddenly, eyes popping open.

"You're not going to scare me away, you know," Levi commented, not unkindly.

"Damn." Cath flopped back down on her bed, covering her eyes with her arm, causing Levi to grin.

"Oh, come on, Cath! You know, in your heart, that I'm right. Why don't you skip the theatrics, come down, cook us some breakfast, and we can get going? After all, the faster we start, the sooner we can stop, and it's only going to get hotter outside." As he said the last part, Levi pulled Cath's arm away from her face and smiled down at her.

Cath snorted. "Good thing I'm stubborn." Plucking her arm from Levi's grasp, she turned her back to him and settled down into her blankets, closing her eyes.

After several threats, loads of whining, and a few screams (which were ignored by Wren), Levi finally got Cath to agree to cook breakfast (as it was the only thing she would agree to). Levi figured he could convince her to do more later, and anyway, he was hungry, since he had waited to eat with Cath. They were currently in the kitchen, Cath cooking omelets and Levi leaning against the counter, watching her.

He loved the way she would get so focused on cooking. How if something didn't work quite right, her beautiful face would develop a small scowl and a frown, making her look adorable.

"Levi? You do want to eat, right?" Lost in his thoughts, Levi had missed Cath finishing and plating the omelets. Now she had them in her hands, looking a combination between confused, expectant, and a tiny bit suspicious and irritated.

"Yes, of course," he answered, grabbing a plate and grinning. "I can't wait. You always make the best omelets." Cath gave a small smile, blushing a little, but didn't answer.

They finished, and Levi was thinking about how to approach the topic of going on the run with Cath. Mulling it over for a bit as he cleaned his plate, he decided to just jump in and hope for the best.

"You should get dressed so we can start running."

Cath sighed. "You're not going to give this up, are you?"

"Nope." Levi grinned a little, hoping to soften the blow (if one could call it that).

Cath sighed again. "Alright. I'll get dressed. Fine." She began to walk away, but then turned around. "I'm still not running," she told him determinedly.

A smile appeared on Levi's face. "Sure you aren't."

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><p>How do you like it so far? Please review and let me know!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to write, I've just had so much stuff going on with back-to-school and everything, and now that I've got into a routine, the next chapter should be up much faster. Enjoy!

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><p>"Yes."<p>

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"_Cather_."

"Levi."

"Are you _serious_?"

"Are you?"

"You're arguing like a child."

"So are you." At this last remark, Levi sighed and stood up.

"One time. If you don't want to, we don't ever have to do it again."

"Mmmm," Cath seemed to be losing her battle, and the look on Levi's face—gently pleading—did her in. "Okay, fine, whatever."

"Really?" Levi's eyes lit up with happiness, and although Cath thought it was kind of a stupid reason to be happy, she walked over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Yes, now let's go before I change my mind."

Levi pulled out a backpack seemingly from nowhere, unzipped it, and began taking things out. When he was done, the counter was littered with water bottles, arm bands that hold your phone, bracelets that display some number, and a couple of these little box things with clips on the backs of them.

"What's this?" Cath asked, picking up a box-y thing and studying it.

"Oh, that's a pedometer. It measures how many steps you take." Levi told her, glancing up, and then going back to trying to figure out which of the identical water bottles he had already used.

Cath sighed, and set the pedometer back down.

"What is it, Cather?"

"I just-I don't know, having all this stuff here makes it feel like you have such high expectations for me, and I don't think I'm going to be able to meet them. Honestly, this whole thing is your fault anyway, but would you mind if we didn't use all the fancy stuff the first couple times?" Levi grinned.

"Can we use the water bottles?" he asked teasingly.

"Noooo," Cath said sarcastically, smacking his arm lightly, but smiling. Levi went to the kitchen, still grinning like a maniac, to fill up the bottles. It worried Cath a bit, not because it was in any way unusual, but because there was a certain glint in his eyes that wasn't normally there. When they walked out the door, and he was still smiling, she decided to ask.

"What's got you lit up like a Christmas tree?" He glanced over and smiled a bit bigger, if that was possible.

"You said 'the first couple times', implying that we will be running again." He winked and started jogging away. "C'mon Cather! Don't want to get too far behind!"

"Levi!" She shouted, running after him.

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><p>Cath POV:<p>

"Cath, hurry up. We have to cross this street." Levi was waiting for me, near the street, ready to cross.

"Go ahead," I told him, huffing and puffing as I slowly walked, holding my stomach, towards him.

"Are you sure?" Levi asked, concerned, starting towards me.

"Yeah, go." I waved him off, but sped up a little. _"In fact,"_ I thought. _"I could probably make this signal if I jogged."_ So I did, but the timer was counting down. _"Should I go? Yeah, I should. But . . . nah, it'll be fine."_ I ran out into the street at the last second, just as Levi turned around. I grinned at him, and he started to smile back, but then looked scared.

"Ca-!" was all I heard before I was pushed violently to the side, felt an unimaginable pain, and everything turned dark.

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><p>Sorry for the cliffhanger! I tried it a million different ways and this was the only one that worked. But again, the next chapter should be up soon. Please review and let me know what you thought, it would make my day!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I'm back! Have you seen my wonderful new cover art? A very special thank you to my friend Angelina (vault-of-midnight) for taking the time to create it. Sorry for the cliffhanger, and I'm sorry to say this chapter doesn't clear it up either, but it will be one of the first things in the next chapter, I promise. Just a warning, the next chapter probably won't be up for a while, as I have so much going on. My school play just started, I have two essay contests I'm entering, and my birthday is November 6th! I do hope to get it up sooner than this one did, but I make no promises. Enjoy and review!

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><p>The driver walked up to the couple, gasping quietly when he saw Cath.<p>

"Oh my god," he breathed. "Is there anything I can do?" Levi looked up, seeing the driver for the first time.

"Call an ambulance," Levi ground out, tearing flowing freely down his pained face.

'If Cath had been awake,' Levi thought, 'she would have been shocked. If Cath had been awake, she would have laid a hand on my face, softening my sharp expression. If Cath had been awake, she would have told me I was being ridiculous, that there was no way the driver could have seen her, that it was really her fault for jumping out into the road. She would have smiled and shaken her head, saying I shouldn't be angry on her behalf, but I would know she was secretly pleased.' Levi frowned and shook his head. 'Stop thinking like that,' he chided himself. 'She _will_ do all those things.'

While Levi was thinking, the driver had been on the phone, and told Levi that the ambulance would be there in fifteen minutes. He nodded, but seemed distracted and was stroking Cath's hair again.

Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance arrived to take Cath to the hospital, and Levi backed away just long enough for them to put her in. They had to let him ride in the back with her.

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><p>When they got to the hospital, the doctors and nurses took Cath away and firmly directed Levi to the waiting room after having him answer a few questions. He crumpled into a chair, still in shock. He sat, with his head in his hands, blaming himself for a while before he realized there were other people that should be in the waiting room. He pulled out his phone and called Wren, Cath's dad, and even Reagan—though partially just as something to do. Wren had been in hysterics ("I knew it! I knew that something was wrong!"), Cath's dad had sounded panicked and rushed ("I'll be right there."), and Reagan sounded strained ("I can't be there right now, but send me the hospital's address. I'll be there as soon as I can.").<p>

With nothing to do, Levi was left alone with his thoughts. He had so many regrets. He should have waited for her. He should have warned her sooner. He should have run into the street and tried to get her out of the way. He should have done so many things that he didn't do . . .

"Levi." A weary voice interrupted his mental berating. Levi looked up.

"Mr. Avery, I'm so sorry. There are some many things I could've—should've done." Levi was rushing his words, they tumbled out of him like a river after a dam had broken. It was like he was apologizing to himself as well as Mr. Avery. "It's all my fault and now Cath's hurt. I just—I'm sorry," Levi finished, fixing his eyes on Mr. Avery's shoes instead of his face.

"Levi," Mr. Avery said sincerely, setting a hand on Levi's shoulder and causing him to look up. "What happened to Cath—it's not your fault. You did the best you could; there are some things you just can't stop. It could have just as easily been me or Wren in your place. I don't blame you, and neither will Cath." Levi bent his head, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank you, sir," he said, his voice breaking.

"You're welcome son," Mr. Avery said kindly, squeezing Levi's shoulder with his hand. Then, the men sat down in companionable silence, both lost in their thoughts.

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><p>"Levi!" A girl's voice shouted angrily after the waiting room's occupants heard its doors banged open. 'It can't be her,' Levi thought, but still looked up hopefully. It wasn't. It was Wren, Cath's twin sister, her face thunderous.<p>

"I can't believe you!" Wren yelled, storming across the room to where Levi was sitting. "You were supposed to take care of her!"

"Wren, I—" Levi started, standing up.

"Don't you dare!" Wren shoved Levi's shoulder hard enough that he stumbled. "Cath—my sister—is in there—!" She jabbed the air in the direction of the hospital rooms. "—because of _you!_" She jabbed her finger in his chest. "Now, I want you _gone!_"

"_Excuse me_," a nurse interrupted, sounding irritated. "Miss, I understand you're upset, but you _must_ stop shouting! You're disrupting others who are waiting, and even some of the patients." Wren nodded meekly, having gotten her anger out at Levi.

"Anyways, I would like anyone here for a Miss Cather Avery to please follow me." She waited for Mr. Avery to stand up, then walked out of the room, expecting the three to follow her. They did, but they had yet to find out what had happened to Cath.


	5. Chapter 5

"So Cath has a fractured arm, a fractured leg, a concussion, and some internal bleeding," the nurse told the three when they got into the hallway. Wren gasped a little, almost involuntarily. "She got off fairly well considering the circumstances, so deem yourselves lucky. She's responding well to treatment, and is now awake, so you can each go in for ten minutes. Try not to upset her," the nurse eyed Wren, "she's currently in a fragile emotional state."

"I'll go first," Wren butted in before anyone else had the chance. The nurse pursed her lips, but walked off with Wren in tow.

"I . . . should probably, uh, go," Levi said to Mr. Avery, glancing quickly at Wren's retreating form.

Mr. Avery followed Levi's line of vision. "Why? Is it because of Wren? She's not Cath, Levi. . . . Don't you think Cath would want you to stay? Or at least visit her before you leave?" He paused, gently setting his hand once more on Levi's shoulder. "Cath isn't Wren, Levi. She would want to see you." Levi sighed heavily, not meeting Mr. Avery's eye. "It's your choice." Mr. Avery let his hand fall off Levi's shoulder and moved away. Soon thereafter, the nurse brought Wren back.

"Who's next?" she asked.

"Levi? Would you like to go next?" Mr. Avery prompted, peering at the younger man. Levi's head jerked up, his eyes wide. He seemed to think he had more time.

"Uh . . ."

"She asked for you, you know," Wren told him matter-of-fact, if a little bitter. "She also threatened my life. That's why I'm telling you."

Levi swallowed. He couldn't not go if she asked for him. "Yeah. I'll go next." He stood up shakily.

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><p>Levi felt like he had been walking for years. The nurse's clipped footsteps, the shockingly bright white hallway, the shakiness in his hands, the pit in his stomach, he had become more accustomed to them. <em>'There are so many doors, it's a wonder she can keep track of them, even <em>with_ the numbers,'_ Levi thought, trying to distract himself from what was at the end of the long walk.

"Here we go," the nurse said, turning to a door with the number 913 on it. She turned the handle and pushed it open as Levi mentally prepared himself. What he saw inside was not what he expected. He couldn't really remember_ what_ he expected. But Cath, laying on a bed, grinning her head off, arm and leg and head wrapped in clean white bandages, her arm and leg in slings was not it.

"Levi!" she shouted, and the nurse winced.

"Please, keep your voice down. Don't strain yourself." Though she sounded irritated, Levi noticed her eyes grew softer when she was scolding Cath. _'A good nurse,'_ he thought.

Cath rolled her eyes. "Levi!" she whisper-shouted.

"Hm," the nurse gave a small nod and left, closing the door behind her.

"Cath," Levi's voice was raw, sounding like it did right after they got to the hospital.

"Hey, don't just stand there. C'mere," Cath smiled and beckoned Levi over to her. He walked numbly, and carefully sat down on the edge of the chair next to Cath's bed.

"So, what happened? I remember deciding to cross the street, then all of the sudden there was a car! What happened after that?" Cath asked brightly, leaning forward.

"Cath, I-" Levi snapped out of his zombie-like state at the mention of the incident. Almost without realizing it, he wrapped one of his arms around himself and began rubbing the nape of his neck with his other hand. "It was horrible," he told her, his voice breaking. "That's all you need to know."

"Oh, Levi." Cath reached over to place one of her hands on his knee. He stared at her hand for a few seconds, and when Cath was starting to draw it away, he took it between his two hands and leaned forward.

"Cath, I'm going to leave," he told her, slowly and carefully, his eyes fixed on the sheets of the bed.

"Levi, why—?"

"I'm not good for you," Levi said in a low voice, running a hand through his hair before wrapping it back around Cath's. "I suggested we go for a run, and I convinced you, and look where that got you. I should have stayed with you, or had been watching you. Maybe this wouldn't have happened." To his great surprise, Cath started to laugh. And laugh and laugh and laugh.

"You _idiot!"_ she cried, trying to catch her breath. "You . . . think this," she gestured at herself, "is your fault?" She slapped his knee lightly. "Oh no, I was the one that decided to cross the street with half a second left! If anyone's to blame, it's me. And what would I have done if you hadn't been there? Lay there in the street, hoping that that boneheaded driver would call an ambulance? Levi, I need you. I needed you then and I need you now." Cath took a breath, locking her eyes with Levi's. "Promise you won't leave me."

"Okay," Levi breathed. Cath gestured for him to continue. "Oh! I, uh, promise. I promise to never leave your side. To keep fighting, always." Levi's voice grew in confidence as he talked, clutching Cath's hand tighter. "I love you, Cath."

"I love you, too, Levi." And with that, Cath's eyes fluttered closed, her breathing slowly becoming steady, and Levi gently set his head next to her on the bed, and fell asleep himself.

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><p>AN: It's a (two day after) Christmas miracle! (Or at least it's two days after Christmas for me.) I know I warned you guys that it would be a while until my next update, but this is ridiculous! I'm sorry it took me so long, and this time, there's no one to blame but me. I will say that I'm writing the next chapter right after I post this, so it will be up much, much sooner. Thank you to everyone that continues to read and review, I love reading your comments, and just for the record, I definitely plan on finishing this story, no matter how long it takes. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

P.S. Since I'm completely uncreative with numbers, I used a number with some significance to Fangirl for Cath's hospital room number. What's the significance?


	6. Chapter 6

"Wow." Levi woke to a sharp voice and a tightening on his hand. He realized it was Cath—she must have woken up earlier than he did. The sharp voice must have been . . . Wren. The conversation they had had came to mind, and he brought his head up to see what she wanted.

"I mean, Cath, I would expect you to do something _stupid_. But Levi, I _warned you._"

"Good morning, Levi," Cath murmured, ignoring Wren and lifting up a hand to run it through his probably messy hair.

"Good morning," he said groggily. He was still trying to figure out what was going on. So he asked. "Why is Wren mad?"

"No clue," Cath admitted, shrugging. "I haven't figured it out yet." She turned to her sister. "Wren, why are you angry with us?" Wren, who had continued to rant while they had their quiet conversation, stopped, surprised at the question.

"You don't know?" Wren asked Cath, disbelief coloring her voice. Cath shook her head. Wren then turned to Levi. "It isn't obvious?" Levi shook his head in confusion. "I'm _angry_ because you two are still _together_." Wren said this like she was explaining simple addition to a five-year-old. Cath recovered from her shock first.

"But Wren, why would you want Levi and I to break up?"

"Because, sister-of-mine," Wren replied, her voice sugar-sweet, "He put you in _danger_."

"Not his fault."

"He didn't watch over you," Wren tried again.

"Not his job."

"He _made_ you go on a run!" Wren was shouting now, angry at her sister's calm attitude.

"Not his _choice_," Cath told her firmly, squeezing the hand of Levi's she was still holding.

"But—he—I—" Wren spluttered. She looked distraught.

"Wren, Levi and I already discussed it. The accident isn't his fault. All the choices that led to this outcome were mine. He couldn't have known or prevented it. We _both_—" here she glanced at Levi,"—decided that we didn't want to end our relationship because of a stupid mistake on my part. And I'm sorry Wren, but it isn't your business."

Wren stood, frozen, staring at Cath for a few seconds before she collapsed into the other visitor's chair in the room and started to sob. Her hands automatically went up to cover her face as she tried to apologize through the tears.

"I . . . am _so_ . . . _s-sorry_," she sobbed.

"Wren!" Cath exclaimed, making to get out of the hospital bed, only to have Levi stop her.

"You're . . . s-so right. It's not my business. I just—" Wren started, but she dissolved into tears again. After she had recovered enough to talk, she began again. "Jandro and I are . . . having _p-problems. _I didn't mean to take it out on you, Cath," she insisted. "Or you, Levi. And I'm really, really sorry."

"It's alright," Levi told her, picking up the tissue box that was on the stand beside Cath's bed and handing it to her.

"Thank you," Wren said in a small voice, taking the box and pulling a tissue out. Her head was tilted down, and she wasn't meeting Cath's eyes.

"Wren." Hearing Cath's voice, Wren looked up. "It's okay," Cath told Wren sincerely. "I understand."

"Oh, Cath, thank you!" Wren beamed, jumping up and running over to embrace Cath. Cath laughed, pulling away.

"What kind of problems are you having? I'm sure we can help."

"Oh," Wren mumbled, rubbing a hand over her face to get rid of the tears.

"Put up a chair," Cath ordered, gesturing to the chair against the wall.

"Here, you can have mine," Levi said chivalrously, standing up and letting Wren sit down. Cath waited as he pulled up the chair and sat down.

"Now tell us everything."

So Wren did. She told Cath and Levi all about how Jandro had been acting distant. She told them how he'd been busy all the time, always making excuses. She told them how he hadn't been paying attention recently, how he had a clouded look on his face and she kept having to bring him back into conversations. She told them about the countless times she'd tried to bring it up, subtly or directly, and how he'd brushed it off, always turning the tables with a passive-aggressive accusation ('You of all people should _know _how tired I've been recently').

Throughout the explanation, there were tears shed and coffees brought and Levi fell asleep around noon right about the point when Cath was trying to convince Wren that Jandro wasn't just bored with her and the fact that she wasn't drinking and going to parties anymore. He woke up again when Cath threw Wren's shoe at him, insisting that he had to listen to the advice she was going to give in case she missed something and to give the guy's point of view.

"As I was _saying_," Cath began again as Levi rubbed his chest where the shoe had hit him, "I think you should just talk to him. Don't you think so Levi?" Levi nodded his agreement.

"Cath, I already told you—" Wren started.

"Hey, I'm not done yet!" Cath chastised, holding up a hand. "Talk to him, but this time, _make_ him listen. Don't let him slip away. Communication is really important in relationships," Cath said, her voice softening and her hand reaching down to find Wren's. Wren smiled at Cath, then turned to Levi for confirmation. He nodded again.

"Thank you, Cath!" Wren beamed as she reached forward to give Cath a careful hug. The smile on her face seemed never-ending. "And you, too, Levi!" Wren gave him a quick hug too, before walking to the door. "I'll go talk to him now." The steely glint in her eyes made Levi glad he wasn't Jandro.

"_Finally,_ she left," Levi smiled. He moved to the seat Wren had just vacated, and moved forward towards Cath. She leaned towards him as well, and their lips were _inches_ away from each other when— _*grumble*. _Cath winced, leaning back, and Levi laughed.

"I guess I haven't had anything to eat today," she muttered, blushing.

"I'll go get something," Levi chuckled, giving her a light kiss on the cheek before leaving too. Cath leaned back onto her pillow, tired, but wondering how she ended up with so many good people surrounding her.

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><p><strong>AN: Alright, no more promises other than this one: I promise to get each chapter up as soon as possible. I'm so sorry I couldn't get this chapter up quickly like I promised. I have no idea why, but it was horrible to write. I started writing it three times, and even after I got into it, Wren wouldn't sit still, Cath and Levi just wanted to cuddle, and I couldn't remember how I set up the hospital room. To make matters worse, halfway through writing it I forgot Cath was injured. *face palm* Just to let you know, the next chapter may end up being put up after March 20, as that's the day when I have three essays due for scholarships to a school I don't want to go to. *shrugs* Whattayougonnado? Anyways, thank you for sticking with the story, and bearing with the time it took me to write this chapter.**

**Reviews are always welcome and make my day! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Cath's hospital room door opened slowly as a boy pushed his way into the room carrying a bouquet of flowers. Cath was watching the TV that was mounted in the corner. Without looking away, she started talking.

"Well, I think that's a new record. What'd you—?" She broke off once she looked away from the TV. "You're not Levi," she frowned. The boy chuckled, still not lifting up his face. "You look familiar . . ." Cath peered at the boy in her room.

"I should." The boy with the flowers finally looked up, and Cath recognized him instantly.

"Abel?" Cath breathed, confused. "Why are you here? How did you know _I_ was here?"

"Wren came into the bakery to get something for you. She said something about 'wonderful advice'?" Abel peered at her, his eyes searching. "How are you, Cath?" he asked with nothing but sincerity in his voice.

"I—what?" Cath was fidgeting with the end of the blanket on her lap. "You break up with me after weeks of bored conversations, and now you walk back into my life to ask me _how I am?_" Abel winced, and Cath took a deep breath, steadying her breathing. "No. Why are you here?"

"Cath, I just—that girl, the one I broke up with you for—," here Cath raised an eyebrow, "—she cheated on me. And I realized how great you were. I realized how great _we_ were." Abel walked farther into the room, closer to Cath. He set the flowers down on the table next to her bed. "I want to get back together with you Cath." Abel shoved a hand into his pants pocket, standing next to her. "What do you think?" Cath sighed, her brow furrowing and her eyes drifting down to reach her hands.

"Abel, when you broke up with me, I was . . . really sad. But I realized that Wren was right," Cath's voice grew stronger, and she brought her eyes up to meet Abel's. "Our relationship wasn't going anywhere. It was nice, but we didn't challenge each other. We didn't have that spark that I always thought was just a thing in cliché movies. We—"

"And your new boyfriend does?" Abel's voice became mocking. "You have that _cliché spark?_ I have so much to offer you, Cath. What does he have? A_ farm?_"

"How did you—?" Cath's eyes grew wide.

"Oh, Wren was pretty happy today. I don't think she really cared _who _she told," Abel sneered. "She talked all about your new boyfriend. How he owns a farm, how he works at Starbucks, how _sweet he is,_" Abel mimicked a cartoon squirrel.

"Abel, what happened to you?" Fear and pity spread across Cath's face, marring it. "You used to be so . . . so . . ."

_"__Boring?_ Like an _end table?"_ Abel said bitterly, leaning towards Cath. Surprise rocketed its way onto her features.

"How did you—?" Cath whispered, recoiling in shock.

"Oh, I heard you and Wren talking often enough. I always figured you didn't think the same way when you defended me, but then you ran out of arguments." The look in Abel's eyes could only be described as cruel and cold.

"Abel, I didn't mean to . . ." Cath's already quiet voice trailed off to nothingness.

"Exactly. You didn't _mean_ to push me away."

"I didn't—!" Cath protested.

"Yes, you did," Abel told her condescendingly.

"You were the one who—!"

"But I wouldn't have if you had just—" Somehow, Abel seemed to keep a cool and uninterested demeanor for this part of the conversation, as if his argument made perfect sense to him. His voice remained level and he remained unflustered, but Cath didn't.

"No, Abel! This is _absolutely not _my fault," Cath announced, her confidence back. The pity she held for the boy had dissipated when she realized she simply didn't care. There was no reason to act like this, to treat her this way. And honestly, he had only gone to college, same as she had.

"What about your _new_ boy?" Abel leered at Cath, his face only a foot from hers. "Is _he _an end table, _Cath?"_

"No . . . well, I mean, I don't think so," a voice came from the now open door.

"Levi!" Cath sighed, relieved. If Abel wasn't a decent enough human being to listen to her demands for him to leave, surely Levi could get him to do so.

"Hey, there, Cather. Who's this?" Levi's voice sounded pleasant enough, but Cath could hear the underlying threat. Apparently Abel couldn't, though, because the next moment he was standing next to Levi.

"Hello, there, Farm Boy. I guess you're the only thing in my way, huh?" Abel observed, his voice snarky.

"I'm assuming an ex?" Levi asked Cath over Abel's shoulder, which he could easily see past. Cath nodded.

"He was my first boyfriend. You know that bakery we went into? It's his family's," Cath informed him.

"Enough," Abel demanded, shoving Levi.

"And they were so nice in the bakery, too," Levi murmured, before putting his hand on Abel's shoulder, which the smaller boy easily shrugged off. "I'll give you one last warning."

"Yeah, right," Abel sneered, shoving Levi again. Levi looked up at Cath, the question in his eyes.

"Punch him," Cath told him, so he did. Abel stumbled, but didn't fall. After recovering, he turned back to Cath.

"This is the worst mistake of your life, Cath," he promised. She just laughed.

"I find that a little hard to believe. There was that one time I was fighting with Wren, that was worse than this, and when we went on that drive here, do you remember that, Levi? Also . . ." As Cath rambled on, finding many things she considered to be worse than refusing Abel's offer, (and honestly, what wasn't?) Abel himself started to walk towards the door.

"That's right, walk away!" Cath yelled after him. "Before I heal and beat you up myself!"

"Trust me, I'm a lot kinder than Cath is. She wouldn't hold back!" Levi added. After Abel left (Levi checked), Levi asked Cath the question he was meaning to before he forgot. "What did he want?"

"Oh, he wanted me to get back together with him. When I refused, he got all hateful and bitter."

"Well, I'm glad you refused. I like you too much to let you go."

"You only like me?" Cath asked, a fake hurt expression on her face.

"Oh, I _more_ than like you," Levi smiled, and leaning in to kiss her.

"Oh, wait." Cath said, and Levi pulled back slightly. "Throw those flowers away before I forget."

"Sure thing," Levi said and smiled, grabbing the bouquet and chucking it into the trash bin on the other side of the room. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

><p>AN: I'm pretty sure it's useless to apologize for taking so long at this point, but at least let me explain. I've had a butt load of things going on in my life for the past couple of months, and this fic sadly had to be the last thing I worried about. Thanks to state testing, however, I didn't have homework today, so I got the chance to actually write. Thanks to all the people who continue to support me. Whenever I see that someone posted a comment or someone new followed the story, it encourages me to write, and more importantly, brightens my day. So thank you for that. Also, thank you to my good friend (irl) vault-of-midnight, for demanding that I write this (and come up with a schedule for the future), so you guys have her to thank for me finally sitting down and writing this out.

Thank you to anyone who reviews, and thank you to all those who follow this story:

A Gentle Wish, Angel5899, BeWitchingRedhead36, EllaVj, FrostedWinter, Gracerine, Lizzalia, LuckyAsLockhart, Operative CG16, SarcasticallyMe, Uneverforgeturfirstdoctor, We'reAllSt0riesInTheEnd, crazyredhead8, dancegirl72, eline19995, kellyjo562, meandmyawesome NESS, , mudsblood, nerdygirl331, outofthesun, penNameofthegods, sheerio4ever, smile16, and vault-of-midnight.

Please review, I'd love to know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

***6 weeks later***

Cath woke up with a smile on her face. She pressed the Call button near her bed. A minute later, the nurse that had she grown comfortable with—the same one that had been taking care of Cath since her first day in her the hospital—pushed open the door.

"Good morning, Cath," she smiled.

"Good morning!"

"Are you excited?"

"Yes, definitely, but I'll miss you. Thank you for everything, Nurse Hodove," Cath said sincerely.

"Oh, Cath, I'm just glad you're healing properly and that you're going to be able to get back to your life." Nurse Hodove walked over to Cath and gave her a hug. "I'll go get the doctor," she said with a smile.

A few minutes later, after the doctor had finished up her final check of Cath's health, Nurse Hodove rolled Cath out in a wheelchair. Outside the hospital stood Cath's father, sister, and boyfriend, all grinning and waiting to bring Cath back into her normal life. Once the wheelchair reached the end of the sidewalk, Nurse Hodove brought it to a stop. Cath took a deep breath and slowly stood. Wren cheered as Nurse Hodove excused herself to head back into the hospital and Cath's dad came to give her a hug. After a minute, he pulled away and gave Cath a kiss on her forehead.

"I'll go get the car," he told her. Wren then walked up to her sister.

"Thank you for everything. I'm so glad you're out of the hospital!" Wren yelled, pulling Cath into a hug. She squeezed her and let go. "I'll be with Dad . . . don't try any funny business, mister," she demanded, glaring slightly at the last person waiting to greet Cath before smiling, saying, "She just got out of the hospital, you know." Wren walked away after delivering this reminder, leaving the couple alone.

Levi approached Cath, grabbing her right hand and twirling her, still smiling.

"Cather, my dear, it's amazing to see you on your feet again." He pulled her towards him, their arms finding their way around each other. Her face was pressed into his chest, his buried in her hair. "Oh, Cather, I've miss you," he whispered.

"I've missed you too . . . so much," she whispered back. The two stood in each other's embrace until they heard the car pull up and Wren shout at them. Then they broke apart, settling for holding hands as they got into the car, sitting next to each other.

"So Cath, what do you want to do now that you're out of the hospital?"

"I want to go home and watch Simon Snow movies," Cath said firmly.

Wren grinned, "Home it is!"

* * *

><p>When the group arrived at the Avery home, Cath was fussed over, popcorn was made, and a movie was put into the player.<p>

"I wanted to watch the first one," Cath groaned when the title screen for Simon Snow and the Six White Hares came up.

"But this one is so much better!" Wren exclaimed, turning towards her sister. "Why would you want to watch the first one?"

"It's full of hope. This one is so dark and brooding," Cath complained.

"Wren, let Cath watch the movie she wants. She just got out of the hospital," the girls' father called from the kitchen. Cath grinned triumphantly in Wren's direction as her sister, grumbling, got up to change the movie. Levi walked into the room as the words "Simon Snow and the Mage's Heir" appeared on the screen.

"I come bearing popcorn," he announced, settling himself on the couch next to Cath. "Which one is this?"

"The first one," Cath told him, snuggling into his side. He wrapped an arm around her, offering the popcorn bowl to her with the other. She took it, grabbing a handful of popcorn and chewing it.

"I like this one. It's full of hope." Wren's head snapped up, her expression one of disbelief. Cath nodded, oblivious to this.

"That's what I said." Wren made eye contact with Levi over Cath's head. He winked at her, and she glared at him.

"Let's just watch the movie," she muttered, letting her body drop heavily onto the couch. As she sat a few inches away from Cath, who was holding the popcorn bowl, the popcorn was upset by the sudden movement.

"Wren!" Cath moaned, picking popcorn off of her.

"What?" Wren asked defensively. After Cath picked up all the fallen pieces, she motioned for Wren to take the bowl containing them.

"Throw this away," Cath told her.

"Why do I have to? It's not _my _fault you can't hold a popcorn bowl!"

"Well, it's not _my_ fault you had to let _all _your body weight fall onto the couch while I was holding a bowl!"

"Again, why couldn't you hold the popcorn bowl correctly?"

"There's no _correct way_ to hold a bowl full of popcorn. There is, however, a correct way to _set yourself down without creating a mini earthquake!" _

"I'm not throwing away your popcorn!"

"I just got back from the hospital!"

"I don't care if you got back from a damn war, I'm not throwing away your popcorn!"

"I'll throw it away!" yelled Levi, knowing that the sisters could go on forever without resolving their silly fight, as they were both very stubborn. He grabbed the bowl from Cath's hand and walked to the kitchen. "I'll go make some more. And try not to start World War 3 while I'm gone." Levi dumped the ruined popcorn into the trash as he waited for the new popcorn to microwave.

"I'll finish it up," Mr. Avery told him, walking towards the microwave. "You go enjoy the movie and keep my daughters from killing each other." Levi grinned.

"Thank you, sir. I'll try." He walked back into the living room where he was surprised to see Cath and Wren talking and laughing like nothing happened. Wren looked up when he sat down next to Cath.

"I thought you were bringing more popcorn," she commented, an eyebrow raised.

"Your dad's bringing it," Levi told her just as Mr. Avery walked into the room holding said popcorn. The movie had already started at this point, and after Mr. Avery sat down everyone turned their attention towards the screen, Wren munching on popcorn and Cath once again curled into Levi's side.

"I'm glad you're back," Levi whispered into her hair.

"So am I," she whispered back, a soft smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Oh, so fluffy. This is more of a filler chapter than anything else, but it's a nice break from the drama that's been going on. As to why this chapter took almost three months to update: there really are no excuses. I'm sure I could tell you all about how the school year was ending and I haven't slept in my room for a month because there was a mouse in it, but I won't. Honestly, there have been so many times that I could have written and put up this chapter but I didn't, and I'm sorry. I know this probably doesn't mean that much as I've been promising faster updates since I started this fanfiction, but I swear on my life the next chapter <em>will<em> be up by the time my summer ends (so in the next 7 weeks). And it's the last chapter! I can't believe I'm almost done with this!

Again, thank you to everyone who reviews and everyone who follows this. Reviews make my day and remind me to write faster! :)


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you sure?"

"I was sure about three 'are you sure?'s ago. But now . . ."

"Sorry . . . I just want to make sure."

Cath sighed, "Levi, this was _my_ idea."

"I know, but—"

"C'mon, Levi, let's go!" Wren shouted from where she was standing a few feet away to give the couple "privacy". "Cath's not afraid to speak her mind, and the sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back, and Cath can make us something to eat!"

"What? Why do _I_ have to make you something to eat? You have two hands and a brain; you can make your own food!" Cath turned, addressing Wren.

"Yeah, well, you make it better!" Wren protested. Cath fixed her sister with a look. "Okay, _maybe_ it's just better because I don't have to make it."

"That's what I thought," Cath said, looking smug, but then sighed again. "Are you ready, Levi?" she asked, expecting another question. Levi had been making sure she was comfortable since this morning when she suggested they go on one more run, just to prove to . . . well, the world, that Cath would not be stopped by something as stupid as a car crash. Levi had then told her that a car crash was a serious thing, and that was when the questions had started. 'Are you sure?' 'Do you still want to do this?' 'You know that you don't have to do this, right?' While Cath was still touched by his concern, she was starting to get a little peeved. She needed to do this, and she needed to do it now! Before she developed a phobia of walking across streets.

"You know what, Cath?" He took a deep breath, giving her a searching look. "I am." Cath beamed.

"All right, Levi! Now let's go," Wren demanded impatiently, pushing his shoulder in a light shove. Levi looked at Cath, now smiling with her, and winked, beginning to run. Cath soon joined him, with Wren running behind them. The only way both Wren and Levi agreed to let Cath go running again was if both of them came along, Levi running directly next to her and Wren watching from behind. They had come up with a whole plan that morning while Cath muttered under her breath about 'over-protective idiots'.

They ran in silence for a while, Wren breathing slightly heavier than Levi, and Cath breathing slightly heavier than Wren. This surprised Wren before she remembered that her sister had been in the hospital for ages, so of course she would be even more out of shape than normal.

They ran for about fifteen minutes like that until Cath needed to take a break. Well, Cath had been the one to ask for a break. Levi was starting to look tired and Wren looked like she was about to pass out, though she would never admit it. The small group had conveniently stopped near a convenience store, and Levi, the only one who had thought to bring money, went to get everyone water. Wren and Cath passed the minutes he was gone in silence, each trying to catch their breath. Levi returned as they had both begun to breathe more normally.

"Here you go," he said kindly, handing each girl a bottle of water. Wren grunted quietly in thanks.

"Thanks," Cath muttered before quickly turning the cap off and proceeding to guzzle the entire bottle.

"You probably shouldn't have done that," Levi winced. Cath waved him away with her hand. "How much longer do you want to run for?" he asked.

"I was under the impression we were turning around now," Cath said tiredly.

"We are." Wren joined them, speaking with an air of finality.

"Just asking," Levi laughed wearily. "We can go now, if you guys are ready." Cath and Wren both nodded their assent.

The trio ran back to the Avery's house, significantly slowly than the way out. This may have been because Wren grumbled the whole time, getting breaks by threatening to jump into the street, to which Cath rolled her eyes but stopped gratefully. By the time they got home, it was well past lunchtime, a fact that Wren also griped about.

"Well," Cath huffed as she stumbled inside the cool house, "I am never doing that again."

"Never?" Levi asked, eyes tired, but a small grin on his face.

"Never," Cath confirmed. "I don't care if there's a bear chasing me, it's just going to have to eat me."

"Well let's hope you never meet a bear." Levi winked. Cath gave a weak smile back that was barely more than a twitch of her lips.

"CATH!" Wren shouted from the kitchen, which was about ten feet away. Cath rolled her eyes and trudged towards the kitchen.

"I'm surprised your eyes haven't fallen out," Levi commented. "You've rolled them too many times to count today."

"I've had too many reasons to roll my eyes to count today," Cath retorted, opening the kitchen door. "This, for example, would be one of them." Wren was sitting on the floor of the kitchen next to a mess of broken eggs, the insides dribbling out onto the floor. Her shins were splattered in egg, and paper towels were stuck to her hands. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Oh Wren, what happened?" Cath asked when no explanation came and Wren simply looked at her imploringly.

"Well," Wren started, her voice shaking slightly, "I was going to get eggs for you to make for me—" (here Cath rolled her eyes yet again) "—but when I tried to get the egg container out, it was stuck, so I pulled a little harder, and it came out really easily, and fell on the floor!" Now that it was mentioned, Cath saw the egg container behind Wren, like she had tried to move it out of the way.

"So how did you end up with paper towel stuck to your hands?" Cath prompted, moving into the room and getting some more paper towels, but unlike Wren, putting water on them. She had a pretty good idea what had happened, but talking seemed to help calm Wren.

"_Well, _I did try to clean it up myself, but the paper towels just got sticky, and then stuck to my hands."

"Hmm . . ." Cath took one of Wren's hands in her own, peeling off the paper towel and wiping a little bit of the egg off quickly before doing the same to the other hand. "Go wash your hands," she told her sister before beginning to get the egg remnants off the floor. She used the paper towel she had to swipe the floor once before throwing it away and grabbing the entire roll off the stand, taking it with her. She turned to Levi.

"Can you order a pizza? I feel like it's not a good idea for any of us to cook in this state."

"Of course, Cather," Levi agreed, blowing her an air kiss before pulling out his phone. Cath went back to cleaning the kitchen floor, finishing shortly before the pizza arrived.

About five minutes after that, Cath, Wren, and Levi were all seated around the table, eating pizza. Wren and Levi were arguing over some little thing, and Cath was sitting with a smile on her face, wondering how she got so lucky.

* * *

><p>AN: I know, I know, horribly cliché ending. It just wouldn't end any other way, so there you go. I would also like to briefly address my continuing lateness with a quick excuse: life got in the way. I would have loved to have had this updated much sooner, and hopefully my future fanfictions will be, but I just couldn't with this one.

I did, however, get my chapter lengths to be significantly longer from the beginning, with this one being the longest by about 15 words (at 1,236 words). I gotta say, though, this chapter had a weird bit in the middle (and I'm sure you can tell I have an obsession with That One Time Cath Made Eggs, and so now she must always be making eggs in my fics).

Here we are now, at the end. It was such a journey to write this, and everyone who ever reviewed or favorited or followed this story (or me!): you have helped me so much, and absolutely made my day. Thank you so so so much to anyone who read this. It means so much to me that you would take time out of your life to read my fic.

One last time, for the hell of it: reviews are always appreciated, and they really, truly, make me smile. ;) (Let me know which chapter was your favorite! Mine was 7, or The Abel Confrontation as I refer to it in my head.)


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